Tube expander



Sept. 20, 1932. G. WIEDEKE 1,878,049

TUBE EXPANDER Filed Sept. 25, 1930 2 Sheets-Slxeae'c l Sept; 20, 1932. Q WIEDEK 1,878,049

' TUBE EXPANDER Filed Sept. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /7/5 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 20, 1932 'UNITED' STATES PATENT' oFFIcE l GUSTAV WIEDEKE, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO GUSTAV WIEDEKE COMPANY, OIE"l DAYTON, OHIO, l A' COPARTNERSHIP CONSISTING OF GUSTAV WIEDEKE OTTO WIEDEKE, AND ROBERT WIEDEKE TUBE EXPANDER Application filed September 25, 1930. Serial No. 484,295.

This invention relates to tube expandersl of the type commonly used to expand tubes or iues in the tube sheet of a boiler or 1n Vlike parts of other structures where a tight joint is desired.

'l vide a device of rthis kind which may be used for grooving the wall of the tube-receiving opening in the tube sheet.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide a device of this kind having improved means for inserting the tube expander in and removing the same from a tube in the inner wall of a water leg or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tube expander with a mandrel of such a character that its operation will not be restricted or interfered with by a bend in the tube close to the point of expansion.

vA further object or the invention is to provide a' tube expanderV having combined expandingand flaring rollers so arranged. thatv theexpanded and flared portions of the tube will be truly circular in cross-section.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the device is described in detail.

In ther accompanying `drawings Fig.`1 is a side el-evation of one form vof expander embodying-myinvention Fig. 2 isa similar view of the expander, partly broken away, Vand showing the same equipped with a removable inserting handle; Fig. 3 1s a section takenV on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of another form of tube expander embodying my invention; Fig. 5-is a section ,taken on the line 5-5 of the tube expander of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on` the-line 6---64 of Fig. 5; Figs. 7 8 and 9 are detail views of dili'erent forms of'expanding rollers; and Fig. 10 is a sectional detail view of a portion of one form of joint formed with the expander.

In these drawings I have illustrated certain embodiments of my invention but it Will be understood that these have been chosen forthe purposes orillustrationonlyand that the severalnovel features of the invention may be utilized, eitherindividually or collectively, in tube expanders of various kinds.

, In that embodiment illustrated in Figs, 1, -2, and 3, the tube expanderfcomprises a body portion or frame 11 having an axial bore 12 to receive a mandrel 13 and also having longitudinal openings or slots 14 and 15 to receive the rollers. The slots 14 are of greater length than the slots 15 and are adapted to receive combination rollers, each of which comprises an expanding roller 16, of less length than the slot, and a tapered flaring roller 17 which is arranged at the rear end of, andV preferably in contact with, the expanding roller 16. Single expanding rollers 18 are mountedin the shorter openings 15 and the openings are so arranged and the rollers are of such length that the rollers will extend rearwardly be# yond the forward ends of thelaring rollers 17, thus causing the same tooverlap the joints between the rollers 16` and 17 and to smooth out any ridge which Vmight otherwise be formed on the tube between these two rollers.-

The single expanding rollers 18 have smooth surfaces 'which serve to smooth out any fins or ridges whichmight otherwise be'formed on the tube by the action of the ribbed rollers.

Any suitable number of rollers may be employed and these may be arranged in any desired manner but I have found that in many instances the most desirable results are secured by arranging the longer openings 14 on diametrically opposite sides of the frame 11 so that the greatest overall diameter of the expander will be on a line extending through the axis of the frame and the axes oi thetwo combined expanding and flaring rollers. Consequently these rollers will expand and are the tube to true circular form. The expanding rollers 18 may be of any suitable number and arrangement but, as here shown, there are two expanding rollers 18` and they are arranged on diametrically opposite sides of the main frame, but this arrangef ment of the rollers 18 is of less importance than the arrangement of the combination rollers.

That portion of the mandrel 13 which extends through the bore of the frame is tapered so that theu inward movement of the mandrel will project the rollers radially and will cause the progressive expansion of the tube. This inward or feeding movement of the mandrel has heretofore been accomplished in various ways. In many handoperated expanders it is accomplished by striking the outer or rear end of the mandrel with a hammer. In other instances, more particularly in power-operated expanders, the expanding rollers are arranged at an angle to the axis of the mandrel so that they will tend to pull the same inwardly as they rotate. l have found, however, that a much superior and more positive feeding action may be had by providing one or more of the expanding rollers with circumferential ribs so arranged with relation to the rollers that they will extend obliquely'to, or at an acute angle to, the mandrel, thus more positively engaging the same and providing a more uniform feeding action. outer surfaces of the ribs are fiat so as to not interfere withthe expanding action of the rollers. The ribs may take different arrangements in diierent expanders. ln that form shown in Fig. 2, which is a hand-openV ated expander, the ribs are spiral in form, or similar to ascrew-thread, as shown at 19, and the expanding rollers are parallel with the axis-of the mandrel. In that form shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the expanding rollers 2O are so mounted in the frame. 2l that they extend at an angle to the axis of the mandrel, and

' the ribs 22 are parallel one with the other andat substantially right angles to the axes ofthe respective expanding rollers. Due to the angular arrangement of these rollers these ribs also extend obliquely to the mandrel kand exert thereon substantially vthe same feeding action thatis had by the spiral rollers. In that form of expander shown in Fig. 2 the inward movement of the frame is limited by the flaring rollers, while in the form shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the fra-me 2l is provided with a stop, such as a collar 23, which engages the tube sheet and limits the inward movement of the fra-me Itis sometimes desired to provide the circumferential wall or edge of the tube-receiv- Ying opening in the tube sheet with grooves Jinto which the metal of the tube may be 'used would preferably be provided with rollpressed to form'a'more secure j oint.V An expander having the ribbed rollers above described may be utilized to so groove the tubereceiving opening. An expander to bey so ers having parallel ribs. lf the rollers were to be utilized to feed the mandrel, shown at 24, as well as to form the grooves, the rollers would be placed at an angle to the axis of the mandrel. Due to the positive limitation of the inward movement of the frame the ribs will rotate in fixed paths with relation to the tubesheet and their continued rotation will form circumferential grooves in the Preferably the tions of these ribs the grooves will be of a width slightly greater than the width of the ribs but this is not objectionable. If Vthe feeding action of the rollersis notl important they may be placed parallel with the mandrel and then the grooves formed in the wall of the opening will be of the same width as theribs. After the wa-ll of the opening has been grooved and the tube inserted therein an expander is inserted in the tube and actuated to expand the tube, thus forcing the metal of the same into the grooves in the wall of the opening. If this expander is pro- Y' vided with ribbed rollers similar to those `used in forming the grooves in the wall of the opening these ribswill be in line with the grooves and will very effectively press portions of the tube into the groove, as shown in Fig. 10. ln many instances the same expander may be utilized to form the grooves in the wall of the opening and to expand the tube in the opening but where the range of action of the rollers is not 'sufficient for this purpose the rollers in the expander may be changed or differentv expandersmay be used.

-In many installations the tubes which are to be expanded and supported in the inner wall or tube sheet v25 of a double-walled structure, such as the water leg of a boiler, the outer wall 26 of which is provided vwith a hand hole or plug hole 27, to permit access to be had to the' tube'sheet. If the hand hole is out of line with the tube-receiving opening Y frame of the expander and o f such a charac-v ter that it may be readily placed about or removed from the mandrel. Preferably the connectionv between the handle and the frame is a frictional one and, in the present instance, the fram-e has at its rear end a tapered socket 29 and the inner end of the handle is tapered, as Vshown at 30, to fit snugly within that socket. `One side of the tubular handle is cut away for the full length thereof, as shown at 3l, to form an opening in the side of the handle and this opening is of a width greater than the thickness of the adjacent portion of the mandrel so that the handle may be placed about or removed from the mandrel by lateral movement, thus avoiding the necessity of withdrawing the same lengthwise of the mandrel, which movement would often be prevented by the mandrel operating devices, whether hand or power operated. TherCutting away of the one side of the handle reduces the radius oflthat side thereof and permits the handle and mandrel to be placed much closer to the edge of the handl opening Tov if the handle were of uniform' diameter, asl will be clear from an inspection of Figs. 2

and 3. The rear or outer portion of the mandrel is here shown as of reduced diameter between the taperedportion thereof and thev head 32 with which the operating device is connected. This not only facilitates the placing of the handle about-the mandrel but the reduced diameter of the mandrel permits' the mandrel itself 'to be placed close tothe edge of the hand opening 27.

It is customary to taper the end; of the mandrel to a small diameter so that by withdrawing this small portionv into the frame-the rollers may be moved inwardly for the purpose of inserting or removing the expander from the tube. As a result the inner end of the mandrel often extends a very considerable distance beyond the frameand in an installation where the tube is bent at a point close to the tube sheet the inner end ofthe mandrel will sometimes engage the bent portion of the tube which will limit its inward movem-ent and otherwise interfere with its operation. To avoid this interference I prefer to form the mandrel with a laterally movable inner end portion which will bedeflectedv byl contact with the bent tube and will not limit the inward movement of the mandrel or interfere with Aits rotation. This laterally movable portion is preferably ofsuch a character that it can be moved in any direction laterally of the mandrel. This is readily accomplished by providing the mandrell with a flexible inner end portion. As shown in Fig.

1, this end portion consists of a tightly woundV coiled spring 33 secured to the Arigid or body portion of the mandrel. This spring is of such stidness that it will normally bemaintained substantially in line with the body of` the mandrel but due to its resiliency it may be moved laterally in any direction and will permit of the rotation lof the mandrel. If desired, the inner end of the flexible portion may have secured thereto a stop, such as a` disk 34, .which will engage the inner end of the frame ll and prevent the mandrel from being entirely withdrawn, which would permit the rollers to move entirely out of their understood that I do not desire to be limited` to the details thereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilled inthe art.

Having now fully described'my invention,

what I claim as new and desire Letters Patent, is:

to secure by l. In a deviceof the character described, a

Y frame adapted to be inserted in an openingin a {tube sheet and'having a longitudinal bore, a plurality of expanding rollers mounted, in said frame for radial movement, one or more of said rollers having circumferential ribs sov arranged that when said frame isin its operative position in said opening said ribs will be located adjacent tothe wall of said opening between the ends thereof, and a mandrel ex-4 tending through the bore of said frame and acting on said rollers to cause the ribbed roller to form grooves in the wall of said opening. v

2.k In a device of the character described, a frame adapted to be inserted in ari-.opening in .a tube sheet and havinga longitudinal bore, a plurality of expanding rollers mounted in said frame for radial movement, one or more of said rollers having substantially par-v allel ribs extending about .the same and so arranged that when said frame is in its oper-V ative position in said opening said ribs will be locatedadjacent to the wall of said openactingon said rollers to press said ribs in-to the wall of said opening.

3. In a device of the character describeda frame ladapted-to be inserted in'an opening in a tube sheet and having a longitudinal bore', a plurality of expanding rollers mounted in said frame for radial movement, one of said rollers having circumferential ribs so arranged that when said frame is in its operative positionin said opening said ribs will be located adjacent to the wall of said opening between the ends thereof, and another of said rollers having a smooth surface, and a mandrel extending through the bore of said frame and acting on said rollers to press the ribs of said `roller into ythe wall of said opening.

rollers having circumferential ribs extending obliquely to said mandrel to impart longitudinal movement to said-mandrel.

5. In a device of the character described, a

frame having a longitudinal bore, a plurality' of expanding-rollers mounted in said frame for radial movement, and a mandrel extending through the bore of said frame and acting on said rollers to rotate the same, one of said rollers having a spiral rib extending about the same.` n

6. In a device ofthe character described, a'

frame having a longitudinal bore, a plurality*v of expanding rollersmounted in said frame forradial movement, and a mandrel extending through the kbore of said frame andacting on s aid rollers to rotate the same, one of "saidv rollers having substantially. parallel ribs ex- 105 4. In a device of the character described, av

. tending about the same and havingits axis at an angle to the axis of said mandrel.

7. In a device of the character described, a

frame having a longitudinal bore, a plurality `6 of expanding rollers mounted in said frame for radial movement, and a mandrel extending through the bore of said-iframe and acting on said rollers to "rotate the same, 'a part of said rollers having circumferential ribs ex- 10 tending obliquely to said mandrel to impart longitudinal movement thereto, and a part of said rollers having smooth surfaces.

8. In a tube' expander, a frame having an axial bore and having a pair 0f elongated 1U openings on diametrically opposite sides thereof and having a second pair of elongated openings of less length than the firstmentioned openings, a combination roller mounted in each ofthe longeropenings and F comprising an expanding roller and a tapered flaring rollerv at the outer end of and adapted to contact with said expanding roller, aroller mounted in each of the shorter openings and vextending rearwardly beyond 255 the forward ends of said flaring rollers, and a mandrel extending through the bore of said frame and acting on all of said rollers.

9.In a tube expander, a frame having an axial bore and having a pair of elongated openings on diametrically opposite sides thereof and having a-second pair of elongated openings of less length than the firstmentioned openings, a combination roller mounted in each of the longer openings and 345i comprising an expanding roller having circumferential ribs, and a tapered flaring roller at the outer end of said expanding roller, a

roller mounted in each of the shorter openings and extending rearwardly beyond the 740i forward ends of said flaring rollers, and a mandrel extending through the bore of-said frame and acting on all of said rollers.

`10. "In a tube expander, a frame having an axial bore, two combination rollers mounted 15?; on diametr'callly oppositev sides of vsaid frame, each 'combination roller comprising an expanding roller and a tapered flaring roller attherear end of said expanding roller,

other expanding rollers mounted on the re-H i spective sides of said frame between said combination rollers and with their rear ends extending beyond the forward ends of said flaring rollers, and a mandrel extending through said bore and acting on said rollers.

53"' 11. Ina tubeexpander, a frame having a longitudinal bore, expanding rollers mounted in said frame for radial movement, a mandrel having a tapered part extending through said bore, and acting on said rollers,

wand a tubular handle having a longitudinal opening through one side thereof `of suflicient width to permit said handle Vto be moved laterally ionto and off of said mandrel, said frame and saidhandle having cooperating f5-parts controlled by the manipulation of said @mais handle to detachably connect said handle with said frame.

12. In a tube expander, a frame having a longitudinal bore, expanding rollers mounted in said frame for radial movement, a mandrel having a tapered part extending through said bore and acting on said rollers, and a tubular handle having one side thereof cut away for the full length thereof to enable the same to be placedabout an intermediate portion of said mandrel, said handle having at its-inner end a part movable by the manipulation of said handle into and out of supporting engagement withsaid frame.

13. In a tube' expander, a frame having a longitudinal bore, expanding rollers mounted -in said frame for radial movement, a mandrel having `a tapered part extending through said bore and acting on said rollers, and a tubular handle having an opening in one side thereof to enable the same` to be moved laterally onto and olf of said mandrel, said handle having at its inner end a part controlledfrom the outer end of said handle for movement into andout of supporting engagement with said frame. Y

V14. In a. tube expander, a frame having a longitudinal bore and provided with a tapered socket at its outer' end, expanding rollers mounted in said frame for radial movement, a mandrel having a tapered part extending through said bore and acting on said rollers, and a tubular handle having one end tapered to enter said socket in said frame and having an opening through one side thereof extending for the full length of said handle and of a width greater than the thickness of the adjacent portion of said mandrel.

15. In a tube expander, a frame having a longitudinal bore and provided'with a tapered socket at its rear end, expanding rollers mounted in said frame for radial movement, a mandrel having a tapered part extending throughsaid bore and actingon said' rollers and having a part of reduced diameterin the rear of said tapered part, and a' tubular handle having one endtapered'to enter said socket'in said frame and having an op'eningthrough one side thereof extending for the full length of said handle and of a widthv greater than the diameterV of the reduced portion of said mandrel.

16. In a tube expander comprising expanding elements, a mandrel having a rigid portion to operatively engage said expanding elements and having a laterally movable end portion to extend inwardly beyond said expanding elements and adapted to be deflected by contactwith the wall of a bent tube.

17. In a tube expander comprising `expandingy elements, a'mandrel havinga rigid portion to operatively engage said expandingv elements and having a flexibleinner end portionV to extend beyond said Vexpanding elements.

18. In a tube expander comprising expanding elements, a mandrel having a rigid portion to operatively engage said expanding elements and having a normally straight resilient inner end portion to extend beyond said expanding elements.

19. In a tube expander comprising expanding elements, a mandrel having a rigid portion to operatively engage said expanding elements and having an inner end portion to extend beyond said expanding elements, said inner end portion being movable laterally in any direction With relation to said mandrel, and a stop carried by said inner end portion.

20. In a tube expander, a mandrel compris# ing a rigid portion, and a tightly Wound coiled spring secured to said rigid portion and extending normally in line therewith.

21. In a tube. expander, a frame having an axial bore, expanding rollers mountedinvsaid frame, a tapered mandrel extending through said bore and having at ,its smaller end a flexible part which Will be deflected by contact with the Wall of a bent tube, and a stop carried by said flexible part to engage said mandrel and prevent the complete Withdrawal of said mandrel therefrom, said stop being of such a character that it Will permit said mandrel to rotate when said stop is in contact With the Wall of the tube.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

GUSTAV WIEDEKE. 

